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NBC Sports will air IndyCar’s second virtual race on April 4th

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Pro IndyCar drivers are expected to participate on the iRacing platform, including five-time series champion Scott Dixon and two-time and reigning series champion Josef Newgarden. It’s the first time the virtual event will be broadcast on NBC Sports — the first one was only livestreamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.

IndyCar officially canceled its season opener and all races throughout April in early March, and it’s still unclear if its in-person events will resume later. It launched a virtual replacement for its races as a result, with the first round getting 433,000 combined views on several online platforms. NASCAR did the same thing in March, airing the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, which drew in 903,000 viewers.

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The Morning After: Intel’s 10th gen mobile CPUs cross the 5GHz barrier

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Up against AMD.Intel and NVIDIA have new hardware for your next laptop

Intel has crossed the 5GHz barrier with its new notebook CPUs, and you’ll get such speeds from six- and eight-core i7 processors, not just the fully specced i9 model. Intel stepped up its fight against AMD’s new 4000 series Ryzen mobile processors, which also offer up to eight cores, but with a lower 4.4GHz maximum clock speed. AMD, however, is using a refined 7nm architecture, which makes them more power efficient. Oh, and AMD’s latest chips also include up to eight cores of Radeon Vega graphics, which are far more capable than Intel’s aging UHD graphics. That said, these processors are meant to go with a dedicated GPU, so it’s a different thing.

Fortunately, then, NVIDIA’s Super iterations of its RTX cards are now getting laptop versions, with the most powerful being the flagship RTX 2080 Super Max-Q. The company has included some new Max-Q features that should boost performance and power efficiency significantly on all the Max-Q GPUs, but only on new 2020 laptops. Naturally, all this news lands alongside new laptop reveals from Razer, Gigabyte and ASUS and Lenovo — so it’s worth browsing around if you’re planning to pick up a powerful gaming PC in the next six months.

It’s done.T-Mobile completes Sprint merger

As of Wednesday, the two carriers are one — they’ll do business simply as T-Mobile. They’re also clearly confident in the transition, as CEO John Legere is stepping down early rather than waiting until the end of April as his contract dictated. COO Mike Sievert is taking Legere’s place, effective immediately. The combined companies continue to claim this will help push 5G adoption across the US, despite opposition from those who think customers would’ve been better served by keeping another national wireless company in the game.

And some bass-heavy in-ear buds.Sony’s new headphone line includes noise-cancelling ones for under $200

Sony’s noise-cancelling headphones are among the best. The company often packs some of its best features into more affordable sets, too, and the WH-CH710N, announced yesterday, follow that trend. They’re priced at $200 and pack active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode to hear traffic and your coffee order (both things less likely to happen at this present moment in time). Notably, Sony says these headphones will last for up to 35 hours on a charge — that’s longer than its flagship headphones.

Alongside these, Sony also revealed a new set of true wireless earbuds that don’t pack any noise cancellation tech, but do have more bass power versus the competition. They have a nine-hour battery life and a tempting $130 price tag.

More polished than ever.Dell XPS 13 review (2020): Tweaked to near-perfection

We might have been singing the praises of the MacBook Air just yesterday, but if there’s any device that might swing you to Windows, it could be the XPS 13. Refreshed, yet again, there’s a bigger screen, more expansive keyboard and… still no full-sized SD card reader. Devindra Hardawar is besotted all over again.

If you take care of it.Samsung’s Galaxy S20 buyback scheme promises half your money back

Samsung has launched a buyback program for the Galaxy S20 that would make it quite a steal. If you buy any of the Galaxy S20 phones on Samsung’s store, you can return it any time within 24 months and, provided it’s in decent enough condition with “no damage beyond normal wear and tear,” Samsung will credit 50 percent of the full retail price to your payment account.

The deal means you could get from $500 off the Galaxy S20 5G 128GB and up to $800 off the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G 512GB. That effectively gets you these expensive phones for as little as $500 for the entry-level Galaxy S20. It also makes it cheaper than the ‘flagship’ Android phones from rivals like OnePlus that typically undercut the Galaxy series.

See how Drake’s story ends.‘Uncharted 4’ is free on PlayStation Plus in April

Let’s start with a cliche. There’s never been a better time to play through that pesky backlog of free games you’ve accumulated through PlayStation Plus. For your lockdown April, add Uncharted 4, the final chapter of the series. Because you already played through Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (which included all the other games) that was free to download in January, right?

But wait, there’s more…

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NASA successfully deploys the James Webb Telescope’s enormous mirror

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Getting the new telescope to this stage has been a challenging endeavor for NASA — its launch was initially scheduled for 2018, but the intricacy of construction, number of parts needed and the fact that it’s the most complex telescope built to date meant its launch date has seen a series of delays.

Now though, following the successful test, researchers are confident it’s on track for launch next year. The test procedure involved replicating Webb’s final configuration in a space-like environment. This meant replicating the zero-gravity atmosphere Webb will eventually operate in, using special gravity-offsetting equipment. The spacecraft’s internal systems were then used to fully extend and latch Webb’s 21-foot primary mirror, to appear as it will after it’s been launched into orbit. Because the mirror is so large, it can’t fit inside any available rocket, so it’s comprised of a series of moveable parts that designed to fold in on themselves.

Tests like these help safeguard both the spacecraft and telescope, but the primary mirror will only be deployed once more on the ground — just before Webb is taken to its launch site. In a statement to Parabolic Arc, Webb’s optical telescope element manager, Lee Feinberg, said, “Deploying both wings of the telescope while part of the fully assembled observatory is another significant milestone showing Webb will deploy properly in space. This is a great achievement and an inspiring image for the entire team.”

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FTC sues to unwind Marlboro owner’s $12.8 billion Juul investment

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While e-cigarettes may have been quickly replaced in headlines by a new threat to public health, it appears the government has not forgotten about vaping. However, this time the news isn’t about banning flavored pods or raising the legal age, instead the FTC is suing to unwind Altria’s $12.8 billion investment in vaping giant Juul. While the folks at Altria might be having similar thoughts after lawsuits and regulation cut the value of that stake to around $4.2 billion in January, the feds take issue with the way the two companies “turned from competitors to collaborators by eliminating competition and sharing in Juul’s profits.”

At the time the investment even upset people within Juul, due to the suddenly hypocritical stance of claiming to be a way to help people quit smoking despite having a major investor that’s a tobacco giant (Altria owns brands like Marlboro and Virginia Slims). According to the FTC, the partnership came about after Altria agreed not to compete with the upstart in exchange for getting that big stake.

In a statement, Altria VP Murray Garnick said “We believe that our investment in JUUL does not harm competition and that the FTC misunderstood the facts. We are disappointed with the FTC’s decision, believe we have a strong defense and will vigorously defend our investment.”

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Gigabyte’s Aero 17 has a 4K HDR display and Intel’s 8-core i9 CPU

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You can get either model with full HD displays for less money, but video editors or other creators will probably want the 4K screens. The 15-inch model has a 4K OLED HDR400 display, while the 17-inch version offers 4K and HDR400 capability. That means you’ll be able to edit 4K HDR videos and see the results in real time, or watch 4K HDR movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime video.

Gigabyte also promises a slim, lightweight body (though it has yet to say how light) and an all-day battery, Thunderbolt, USB Type C and HDMI ports, along with a UHS-II SD card reader.

The Aero 15 laptops run from $1,599 to $2,399 for the full HD models, while the Aero 15 OLED laptops start at $1,899 and go all the way up to $4,099, depending on the CPU, memory, SSD and other options. The Aero 17 full HD starts at $1,699, while the flagship Aero 17 HDR ranges from $2,299 up to $4,299.

Gigabyte AORUS 17 laptops

On the gaming side, Gigabyte also revealed the AORUS 17X, 17G and 15G laptops with 240 Hz gaming displays, 10th-gen Intel Core i7/i9 CPUs with up to 8 cores, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070/2080 Super GPUs and up to 240 Hz displays. The AORUS 15G laptops start at $1,699 and go up to $2,899, while the AORUS 17G ranges from $1,799 to $2,799 and the high-end AORUS 17X starts at $2,399 and goes to $3,799. All the Aero and AORUS laptops are up for order starting today,w ith shipping expected by April 15th.

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Razer’s Blade 15 packs an 8-core Intel CPU and RTX 2080 Super

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The Blade 15 Advanced also comes with NVIDIA’s latest RTX 2070/2080 Super GPUs with Max-Q design. The new chips are not only faster than NVIDIA’s last RTX flagships, the RTX 2080 and 2070, but feature NVIDIA’s latest efficiency-boosting Max-Q tweaks like Advanced Optimus and Dynamic Boost. That means you’ll get higher frame-rates for gaming without sacrificing battery power.

Razer Blade 15 Studio laptops

The Razer’s display has tiny bezels and a matte finish, and gamers can opt for a 15.6-inch 1080p display with up to a 300 Hz refresh rate. Content creators, meanwhile, can opt get one with a factory-calibrated 4K OLED touch display that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.

Other features include WiFi6, up to 2933 MHz DDR4 memory, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 slot, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 slots and yes! Finally an SD card slot, and one that supports UHS-III cards, to boot. You also get a backlit Razer Chroma keyboard, a compact power adapter and up to 1TB of NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 storage.

Razer Blade 15 Advanced laptop

The Razer Blade base model has slightly lower specs, with a 6-core 10th-gen Intel Core i7-10750H CPU with 5.0 GHz max boost, up to RTX 2070 Max-Q graphics, a 144 Hz 1080p display or a 4K OLED non-touch display, and up to a 512GB NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD. Sadly, this model doesn’t have an SD card slot.

The base model starts at $1,599 with GTX 1660 Ti graphics and a 144Hz 1080p display, and goes up to $2,299 with a 4K OLED display, RTX 2070 graphics and a 512GB SSD. The Advanced model starts at $2,599 with RTX 2070 Super graphics, a 512GB SSD and a 300Hz 1080p display, while the top-end $3,299 model features an OLED 4K touch display, GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics and a 1TB SSD. It’ll arrive in the US and Canada through Razer.com and select retailers in May, and come to Europe, China and elsewhere “soon.”

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FCC vote on 6 GHz WiFi will take place April 23rd

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While those industries warned the FCC that giving WiFi devices access to 6 Hz can affect its current use, tech giants like Apple, Intel, Alphabet and Facebook threw their weight behind the proposed changes. According to The Wall Street Journal, they previously told the FCC in a letter that access to the band is necessary to “keep pace with demand and deliver the important new capabilities of today’s wireless technologies to consumers.”

Intel’s EVP for the Client Computing Group said in new a statement:

“Intel commends the FCC for opening the 6 GHz spectrum band for unlicensed operation, which will significantly improve Wi-Fi for all Americans. We deeply appreciate the efforts of FCC staff who have worked tirelessly assessing the complexities associated with the 6 GHz band, and eagerly await the FCC addressing this important topic at its April 23rd meeting. Our nation’s reliance on digital connectivity has become more apparent than ever, and this Report and Order will enable significant new capacity, ensuring a solid future growth path for the Wi-Fi ecosystem relied upon by millions of homes and businesses. Intel looks forward to continue working with our partners to drive innovative use cases.”

Back at CES this year, the WiFi Alliance announced that devices that can use the band will be branded as Wi-Fi 6E. WSJ says if the new rules get approved, those devices, such as faster WiFi routers, will be available as soon as Christmas 2020.

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Nextdoor allows businesses to reach out about pandemic relief efforts

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Facebook isn’t the only site that added ways for people to help out their community during the pandemic. Nextdoor is doing the same thing, with several new updates that’ll let you and fellow community members lend a hand to local businesses that might be in need.

Starting today, local merchants can update their Business Profile pages with different methods of assistance. They can add a gift card website address, add a page that instruct users how to buy gift cards if the latter isn’t available, and if they want, will now be able to add a GoFundMe campaign link in the Story section.

For restaurants in particular, the Business page can also be customized for take-out and delivery options through services like DoorDash, Grubhub or Uber Eats. Businesses that have been designated as a “Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite” by the community will also be able to post updates to the main news feed, which is a good place to share information like new store hours or different services.

Last but not least, Nextdoor has added a Coronavirus Resource Center for local business owners to get other news and advice that they can use to help boost their business. This follows a recent Nextdoor update where it added Help Maps and Groups to connect neighbors during the pandemic.

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Apple lets Amazon rent movies inside Prime Video’s iPhone app

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In a statement, Apple said it was allowing this as part of an existing program that lets “premium subscription video entertainment providers” offer movies and TV shows using their own payment systems. Altice One and Canal+ users have had these options for a while. The same program also allows tie-ins with the Apple TV app, AirPlay 2, Siri, universal search and frictionless sign-ons.

This doesn’t fling the gates wide open for others that want to offer in-app purchases. Amazon isn’t about to sell books directly through the Kindle app, and Spotify’s objections to Apple policies remain intact. Still, direct rentals in Prime Video represent a big deal — it won’t be surprising if other companies follow suit.

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YouTube may counter TikTok with a feed of video ‘Shorts’

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YouTube declined to comment on the report.

Google’s video service has borrowed social media features before, such as its Snapchat- and Instagram-like Stories. In this case, the goal would likely be the same — YouTube may be worried that it’ll lose viewers who are content to watch minute-long glow-ups and shuffle tutorials instead of much longer clips. The challenge, of course, is convincing people that YouTube is a compelling place to visit. Part of TikTok’s cachet comes from its reputation as a social hub for teens and young adults, and they might not want to jump ship no matter how well Shorts works.

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